Cardinal Tagle has rapt audience at Mid-Atlantic Congress

St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown, parishioners Romeo and Emma Tanseco pray the Our Father during the opening Mass of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Congress at the Hilton Hotel in Baltimore Feb. 15. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

The Filipino community of Baltimore took special interest in the Mid Atlantic Congress (MAC) Feb. 15, when Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, presided at the convention’s opening Mass.

The seventh annual convention, organized by the Association of Catholic Publishers and the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Department of Evangelization, drew more than 1,500 pastoral leaders to the Hilton Baltimore.

This year’s theme, Hope, was the focus of Cardinal Tagle’s homily during Mass.

“Those who hope in God,” Cardinal Tagle said, “find the energy to live.”

Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, shares a funny story during his homily at the opening Mass of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Congress at the Hilton Hotel in Baltimore Feb. 15. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Cardinal Tagle, president of Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic relief and social service organization, discussed the struggle to find hope in the world, especially in light of the previous day’s school shooting in Florida that left 17 dead.

“Some question hope because there is so much negativity,” Cardinal Tagle said. “But when you look at the Scriptures, we realize that the theological virtue of hope blooms in the midst of darkness.”

In his welcome at the Mass, concelebrant Archbishop William E. Lori described Cardinal Tagle as “a young, energetic Cardinal.”

Brittany Wilmes, engagement manager with the National Catholic Reporter in Kansas City, Mo., takes a virtual reality tour of the work being done in Lebanon by Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services. CRS was one of the exhibitors at the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Congress at the Hilton Hotel in Baltimore Feb. 15. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

“He is a wonderful pastor of souls,” the archbishop said.

Sisters Chistian Maria Arayata and Janette Agnes Robles, among the Little Sisters of the Poor who serve at St. Martin’s Home for the Aged in Catonsville, are both natives of the Philippines.

That describes other Filipino Catholics who have immigrated to the Baltimore area, who, in 2011, led to the formation of the Archdiocesan Filipino Council.

Its chairman is John Smith, retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel, who was attracted to Filipino ministry by his wife, Lourdes (“Lorie”), a native of the Philippines. The couple will return to her homeland in late February to visit her family.

“Filipinos, we feel, are uniquely faithful,” Smith said.

The Filipino Council unites many communities, focusing on evangelization and serving as liaisons. It meets regularly, hosts functions, a Marian pilgrimage and a fiesta in September, which draws crowds from around the region to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland.

Lorie Smith, meanwhile, is a member of the dance group that was to be featured during an Asian and Pacific Islander celebration at the MAC Feb. 16.

Her husband was among approximately 20 members of the Filipino Council who attended the MAC Mass with Cardinal Tagle.

“He was funny,” Smith said, “and he was also touching.”

An attendee of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Congress kneels in prayer after receiving Communion at the conference’s opening Mass at the Hilton Hotel in Baltimore Feb. 15. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

The Feb. 15 Mass concluded with a talk by Elias, a refugee from Syria invited to speak by CRS.

Elias, who asked that his last name not be used, shares his family’s story on fleeing their home in war-torn Syria to Turkey five years ago. He spoke at the conclusion of the opening Mass of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Congress at the Hilton Hotel in Baltimore Feb. 15. Worried for her safety, he still has a sister who remains in the country. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

He had just completed his undergraduate degree in 2011 when war broke out, forcing him and his family to take flight. Today, his family is dispersed around the world – including a sister who remains in Syria. Elias, who declined to use his last name, is attending graduate school in the United States, studying sustainable engineering.

“I would love to return to my home country,” Elias said, “but it’s not safe.”

He said that he has been overwhelmed by the happiness and welcoming nature he has witnessed in the United States.

It’s the largest gathering for the MAC, which offers workshops and breakout sessions led by national leaders in evangelization. Tracks, including one for Hispanic ministers and one for building intercultural competencies, allow ministers to focus on the specific needs of their communities.

Emily Rosenthal

Emily Rosenthal is a staff writer for the Catholic Review. She is a lifelong resident of Maryland and a parishioner of St. John in Westminster.

A love of learning inspired Emily’s path into the field of journalism. Her desire to continuously grow in her Catholic faith led her to writing for the Review, where she is dedicated to sharing the stories of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Emily is a graduate of Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, Pa. She holds a bachelor's degree in business communication from Stevenson University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in nonfiction writing from The Johns Hopkins University.

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